Text Leveling and “Little Books” in First-Grade Reading

Hoffman, James V.; Roser, Nancy L.; Salas, Rachel; Patterson, Elizabeth; Pennington, Julie L.

doi:10.1080/10862960109548121

Cited by 34 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…However, we have again found that holistic scales, rubrics, and anchor texts lead to reliable leveling. Further, we have found that these scales have validity in relation to student performance in texts (Hoffman, Roser, Patterson, Salas, & Pennington, 2001). …”

Section: Accessibilitymentioning

confidence: 80%

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Decodable Texts for Beginning Reading Instruction: The Year 2000 Basals

Hoffman¹,

Sailors²,

Patterson³

2002

Journal of Literacy Research

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This study focuses on the features of the first grade texts included in basal readers used for beginning reading instruction in Texas during the year 2000 adoption period. The authors investigated the general features of student texts with respect to the instructional design of the text, the accessibility of the text for beginning readers, and the engaging qualities of the texts. The features of these basal readers were then compared to the programs previously adopted in Texas (1987 and 1993 adoption periods). Using a variety of analyses, findings suggest that the mandate by the state of Texas to include more “decodable” texts did in fact, heavily influence the materials presented to beginning readers. In addition, there was an apparent lock of attention to other features that support beginning readers, specifically, predictability and the engaging qualities of the texts. The findings suggest that policy mandates have a direct influence on the content and nature of reading programs placed in the hands of teachers and students.

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Section: Accessibilitymentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Here again, we are left to speculate about the costs of losses in predictability and engaging qualities. We do not know how the loss of engaging qualities is likely to affect student motivation and how the loss of predictability will affect reading accuracy, rate, and fluency (Hoffman et al, 2001). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decodable Texts for Beginning Reading Instruction: The Year 2000 Basals

Hoffman¹,

Sailors²,

Patterson³

2002

Journal of Literacy Research

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“…The California policy read, "Those materials designated by the publisher as decodable must have at least 75% of the words comprised solely of previously taught sound-spelling correspondences" (California Department of Education, 1999, p. 4). Current analyses show that the large textbook publishers designed their materials to meet the Texas and California decodability standards and then marketed these materials across the country (Hiebert et al, 2005;Hoffman et al, 2001;Hoffman et al, 1993;Texas Education Agency, 1990). Because Texas and California were the earliest states to institute decodable text policies, I investigated the role of residency in these states as a possible influence on uses of beginning reading materials.…”

Section: Influences On Text Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, several researchers have conducted studies focusing on beginning reading materials (Compton, Appleton, & Hosp, 2004;Hoffman, Roser, Salas, Patterson, & Pennington, 2001;Jenkins, Peyton, Sanders, & Vadasy, 2004;Menon & Hiebert, 2005;Mesmer, 2001bVadasy, Sanders & Peyton, 2005). By directly measuring the impact of text variables on readers, these researchers are contributing to our understanding of how to appropriately use beginning reading materials.…”

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confidence: 99%

Beginning Reading Materials: A National Survey of Primary Teachers' Reported Uses and Beliefs

Anne

2006

Journal of Literacy Research

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This study examined the opinions of more than 300 primary teachers. The first purpose of the study was to investigate the reported frequency with which teachers used various beginning reading materials (e.g., literature, basals, workbooks, predictable text, leveled text, decodable text, and vocabulary-controlled text). The second purpose of the study was to inspect how instructional purposes, state text policies, programs, grade levels, and freedom of choice influenced reported uses. The results suggested that teachers of beginning readers use many different types of materials and are guided primarily by instructional purposes rather than programs or grade levels. Teachers reported using decodable text and literature for very particular instructional purposes but reportedly used other materials less specifically. Respondents in states with strong text mandates, like Texas and California, did differ from respondents in other states. In sum, the results suggested that teachers believed that different materials can serve different purposes with different readers.In the late 1990s, both Texas and California made considerable changes in their requirements for beginning reading materials by requiring texts to be decodable (California English/Language Arts Committee, 1999; Texas Education Agency, 1997). These changes reversed earlier policies that emphasized literary merit in beginning reading materials and condemned contrived materials (California English/ Language Arts Committee, 1987; Texas Education Agency, 1990). The reversal of policies sparked a major shift in the reading textbook market, which affected thousands of children across the country

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“…On the textbook market are books with predictable featuresrhyming, alliteration, repeated sentence stems, and rhythm (Brown, 2000;Hiebert, 1998;Hoffman, Roser, Salas, Patterson, & Pennington, 2000). In addition, there are ''little books'' containing a close match between the print and the pictures, natural language, and a more child-friendly size (Hiebert, 1998;Menon & Hiebert, 1999;Peterson, 1991).…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Introduction: Text Accessibility and the Struggling Reader

Mesmer

2005

Reading & Writing Quarterly

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Text Leveling and “Little Books” in First-Grade Reading

Cited by 34 publications

References 5 publications

Decodable Texts for Beginning Reading Instruction: The Year 2000 Basals

Decodable Texts for Beginning Reading Instruction: The Year 2000 Basals

Beginning Reading Materials: A National Survey of Primary Teachers' Reported Uses and Beliefs

Introduction: Text Accessibility and the Struggling Reader

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